I have heard rumblings that the Australian Taxation department is now taxing people who are Australian citizens who work outside of the country. In my case I am living, working and paying tax here in Switzerland, so do any of these new rulings apply to me. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I don't think there's any truth in that.

If you have income generated in Australia, you may have to pay tax on that, but I don't believe the American model has been applied to Australia, thank goodness.

Your source for this rumour?

with governments pressed for tax revenue, it wouldn't surprise me if several countries weren't at least considering this option.

Who pays you? An Australian firm or a Swiss firm? If its the later then comrade KRudd would be doing pretty well to get hold of your o/s earned mola. I cant see this ever happening.

I get paid in Australian dollars as an independent contractor for work done outside Australia, I do no want to start paying Aus tax.

I get my pay from a swiss company.

I heard it on talkback radio when I was back in Aus (such a reliable source of information) and I read something about it in news.com.au (another rightwing source of mis-information).

Maybe it applies to people who work overseas and whose dependants live in Australia, those that are essentially getting a free ride as such.


Just wanted to make sure...

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1225715459755

Australia still gets on my goat even after I've left. Sigh.

Guess we'll just have to wait and see the results of the Henry review. When are they due? Or is it done?

I hadn't heard about this at all. And my Australian accountant hadn't mentioned it.

Even if the rules are, or have been, introduced, wouldn't it simply be a matter of abandoning your Australian residency until you return, in order to avoid being taxed on your overseas income? I interpret it as not being compelled to file regardless, as is the case with the US.

What would be the implications of abandoning residency until you return to Australia? You are still an Australian citizen just not a resident while working overseas.

On your tax return you declare your residency 'for tax purposes'....

seriously, direct your question to the ATO...

www.ato.gov.au

As far as I know that's it. I had to declare myself no longer a resident when I moved away. As far as I know, the only consequences of note were that I had to pay some withholding tax on bank accounts in Australia. - you need to inform the bank. Also, after 7 (?) years away, I will be disenfranchised and no longer eligible to vote in Australian elections. And once I've spend a whole tax year as a non-resident, I don't have to submit tax forms any more. (I don't have any property or such annoying encumbrances there however, so it may be different for mortgaged debt slaves or rapacious landlords. ;-) )

The rules on residency and so on are on the ATO site. I seem to remember declaring something to customs or whomever when I left Australia "for good", on the usual slip, but I'm a bit vague on that now!

if you're leaving for a while its worth getting taken off the electoral roll imo, otherwise you get fined for not voting. You can just print off a form from their website, sign it and send it back http://www.aec.gov.au/Enrolling_to_v...seas/index.htm

That is so true, I got a nasty shock when I received a letter saying they were going to cancel my license, my rego and I had a whopping 180 dollar fine. Luckily it was pretty easy to get out of it, just had to write a letter with a scanned image of my passport stamps. Still a hassle though...